On Thurs., Aug. 18, Green Man Brewery opened the doors to its brand new ghost kitchen. Located in the former French Broad Chocolate space at 21 Buxton Ave., the kitchen will crank out 15 menu items including salads + sandwiches, all available via a QR code system on your mobile device.

This is where the ghostly gastronomical magic goes down. I Photo by AVLtoday

First things first: what exactly is a ghost kitchen? Also known as cloud kitchens, ghost kitchens are delivery-only restaurant facilities with no storefront or seating areas. This set-up allows customers to order food without interacting with any workers.

It’s a business model that Green Man owners Dennis + Wendy Thies and kitchen manager Larry Dunn saw gain popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The customer can order the food and pay for it, and I can get it cooked and out the door in less time than it would take the order to come through in a typical kitchen,” Larry says. “It’s so much faster and more efficient than a traditional model because we’re cutting all the unnecessary stuff out.” And because the process requires significantly less staff, the team is able to save major dough on costs.

Hungry beer drinkers on the South Slope were a huge motivating factor in launching the kitchen. “What do you want when you’re drinking?” Dennis asks. “Food. We knew we had to listen to our customers. It seems like about every fourth one asks us for food, and now we’ll be able to provide it.”

If "hits the spot" were a photo, it would be this one. I Photo by AVLtoday

Oh, and about the food. You won’t find anything fancy, just classic favorites like burgers, fries, fish + chips, and sandwiches like the very tasty Ashevilly Cheesesteak. There are vegan and gluten free options, and everything is packaged in 100% compostable to-go containers.

Wanna get your ghostly grub on? Green Man’s kitchen will operate from 12-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12-7 p.m. on Sunday.